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Meta Stops Fact Checking by Independent Experts in the US

Social media company Meta stops fact-checking by experts in the United States on messages that spread quickly on Facebook or Instagram.

According to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, these checks by independent organizations were well-intentioned, but they too often lead to forms of censorship.

Instead of independent fact-checkers, Meta wants to set up a system like X, the former Twitter. After Elon Musk took over that platform, a function was introduced that allowed other users to comment on potentially misleading messages on X.

Meta, which was then still called Facebook, set up a system with fact-checkers at the end of 2016. This happened after a storm of criticism of Facebook because fake news about the American presidential elections spread quickly via social media.

The international news agency AFP does many of these checks, after which messages can be labelled as fake news or are less likely to spread.

Political statements
Meta is ending this practice in the US because “experts, like everyone else, have their own biases and perspectives,” writes Joel Kaplan, the new director of international affairs at Meta, in a blog post.

“This was reflected in some choices about what to check and how. Over time, this led to too many messages being fact-checked when people understood that they were legitimate political statements or discussions.”

It is not immediately clear what the decision means for policy in the European Union.

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